Road equipment for preventing traffic accident

ABSTRACT

A road structure is capable of giving a warning to certain drivers to prevent a major accident by forcibly stopping a vehicle when the possibility of an accident is very high. The road structure includes: a speed sensor which senses a speed of a vehicle which drive on a road; a buried block including a housing, a weight sensing unit, a light-emitting unit, a lifting projection and lifting crushing needle, a projection driving unit and crushing needle driving unit, and a signal processing unit; and a controller.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a road structure which is installed ina road for safety accident prevention, and more particularly, to a roadstructure which is configured to give a warning to a driver at the timeof an over-speed, drowsy driving, and drunken driving.

BACKGROUND ART

Currently, irregular roads of a certain distance are formed in curvedroads, downward roads, or in front of tollgates in expressways in orderto prevent the over-speed of vehicles or the slip of vehicles.

Specifically, in the case of a road made of cement, belt-shaped groovesare formed at regular intervals, and in the case of a road made ofasphalt, the ascon job is performed on the surface of the road in orderto form irregular roads.

Such irregular roads lower passenger's comfortable feeling, wear tires,and lower the vehicle's mileage. Especially, the irregularities fixed onthe roads, and thus even those safe-driving drivers also need to faceall such disadvantages of the irregularities.

Further, over-speeding drunken driving drivers finally cause an accidentregardless of such irregularities, and thus the effects of suchirregularities have also been questioned. In addition, the car accidentratio is changed according to several external conditions such as theroad condition or weather, but no technology for giving warning todrivers in consideration of such external conditions has been suggested,and thus there has been a limit in preventing accidents.

PRIOR ART LITERATURE Patent Literature

(Patent Literature 0001) KR 10-1115280 B

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

An object of the present invention is to provide a road structurecapable of giving a warning to only over-speeding, drowsy-driving, ordrunken-driving drivers, preventing a major accident by forciblystopping a vehicle when the possibility of an accident is very high, andgiving a warning to drivers in consideration of a plurality of externalconditions.

Technical Solution

In order to solve the above problem, a road structure for preventing asafety accident includes: a speed sensor which senses a speed of avehicle which drive on a road; a buried block including a housing ofwhich the whole or part is buried so that an upper part is exposed to anexternal side, a weight sensing unit which is installed on an upper sideof the housing and measures a weight of a vehicle which steps on andpasses the housing, a light-emitting unit which is installed on an upperpart of the housing and irradiates light to a driver of a vehicle whichforwards toward the housing, a lifting projection and lifting crushingneedle which is installed inside the housing in a structure that may belifted to be projected to the upper surface of the housing, a projectiondriving unit and crushing needle driving unit which lifts the liftingprojection and lifting crushing needle, and a signal processing unitwhich transmits a signal generated from the weight sensing unit to anexternal side, receives a signal which is received from an externalside, and transmits a signal to the light-emitting unit, theprojection-driving unit, and the crushing needle driving unit; and acontroller which transmits an operation signal of the light-emittingunit to the signal processing unit if the speed of the vehicle whichdrives on the road exceeds a first reference speed, transmits anoperation signal of the projection driving unit if the speed of thevehicle which drives on the road exceeds a second reference speed, andtransmits an operation signal of the crushing needle driving unit to thesignal processing unit if the speed of the vehicle which drives on theroad exceeds a third reference speed, wherein a plurality of buriedblocks are installed in a longitudinal direction of the road at regularintervals.

The housing may be buried so that the height of the upper surfacecoincides with the height of the upper surface of the road

An end of the lifting crushing needle 240 may be inserted into a tire ofthe vehicle 20 which passes over the housing when the lifting crushingneedle 240 rises to the upper surface of the housing, and the diameterof the lifting crushing needle 240 may be less than 5 mm.

When the road has two or more lanes 14, a first buried block 200 ainstalled on a first lane 14 and a second buried block 200 b installedon a second lane 14 may be arranged side by side in a direction thatcrosses the road, and, when a left tire and a right tire of the vehicle20 respectively pass the first buried block 200 a and the second buriedblock 200 b, the controller 300 may transmit an operation signal of thelight-emitting unit 200 and an operation signal of theprojection-driving unit 232 to the signal processing unit 250 regardlessof the speed of the vehicle 20.

If a phenomenon that the left tire and the right tire of the vehicle 20respectively pass the first buried block 200 a and the second buriedblock 200 b is continued by more than a predetermined distance, thecontroller 300 may transmit a crushing needle operation signal to thesignal processing unit 250.

As the weight of the vehicle 20 which drives on the road increases, thefirst reference speed, the second reference speed, and the thirdreference speed may decrease.

The road structure may further include a rainfall and snowfall sensingunit which measures the amount of rainfall or snowfall around the road,and, if the amount of the rainfall or snowfall exceeds a referencevalue, the first reference speed, the second reference speed, and thethird reference speed may be set lower according to a preset weight.

Advantageous Effects

According to a road structure of the present invention, a warning may begiven to only over-speeding, drowsy-driving, or drunken-driving drivers,a major accident may be prevented by forcibly stopping a vehicle whenthe possibility of an accident is very high, and a warning may be givento drivers in consideration of a plurality of external conditions.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a road structure according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a buried block cut along the A-Aline of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 to 5 illustrate operation of a buried block.

FIGS. 6 and 7 schematically illustrate a vehicle passing a buried block.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of a road structure according to the presentinvention will be described in detail with reference to the attacheddrawings.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a road structure according to thepresent invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a buried blockcut along the A-A line of FIG. 1. FIGS. 3 to 5 illustrate operation of aburied block.

The road structure for preventing a safety accident is used to prevent acar accident by giving a warning to a driver when the speed of thevehicle 20 exceeds a reference value by measuring the speed of thevehicle 20 which drives on the road. The road structure includes a speedsensor 100 which senses a speed of a vehicle 20 which drive on a road, aburied block which is installed on a path which the tires of the vehiclepass by on the road, and gives a visual or tactile warning to thedriver, and a controller which controls the operation of the buriedblock 200.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the buried block includes a housing of whichthe whole or part is buried so that an upper part is exposed to anexternal side, a weight sensing unit 210 which is installed on an upperside of the housing and measures a weight of a vehicle 20 which steps onand passes the housing, a light-emitting unit 220 which is installed onan upper part of the housing and irradiates light to a driver of avehicle 20 which forwards toward the housing, a lifting projection 230and a lifting crushing needle 240 which are installed inside the housingin a structure that may be lifted to be projected to the upper surfaceof the housing, a projection driving unit 232 and a crushing needledriving unit 242 which lift the lifting projection 230 and the liftingcrushing needle 240, and a signal processing unit 250 which transmits asignal generated from the weight sensing unit 210 to an external side,receives a signal which is received from an external side, and transmitsa signal to the light-emitting unit 220, the projection-driving unit232, and the crushing needle driving unit 242. Here, a plurality ofburied blocks 200 are installed in a longitudinal direction of the roadat intervals, and a plurality of speed sensors 100 are also installed ina longitudinal direction in order to sense the speed of the vehicle forrespective points.

The light-emitting unit 220 and the lifting projection 230 arecomponents for informing the driver of the over-speed of the vehicle 20.The light-emitting unit 200 visually gives a warning to the driver, andthe lifting projection 230 gives a tactile warning to the driver bycausing vibration in the vehicle 20. Further, the lifting crushingneedle 240 forcibly decelerates the vehicles 20 by forming a hole on thetire of the vehicle 20 by a rise when the over-speed level of thevehicle 200 is very serious. At this time, the light-emitting unit 220,the lifting projection 230, and the lifting crushing needle 240 are notpromptly operated at the time of the over-speed and are sequentiallyoperated according to the level of the over-speed. That is, thecontroller 300 is configured to transmit an operation signal of thelight-emitting unit 220 to the signal processing unit 250 if the speedof the vehicle 20 which drives on the road exceeds a first referencespeed, transmit an operation signal of the projection driving unit 232if the speed of the vehicle 20 which drives on the road exceeds a secondreference speed, and transmit an operation signal of the crushing needledriving unit 242 to the signal processing unit 250 if the speed of thevehicle 20 which drives on the road exceeds a third reference speed.

For example, in a road of which the speed limit is 100 km/h, if thespeed of a vehicle 20 exceeds 120 km/h, the light-emitting unit 220 isoperated so as to give a visual warning to the driver as illustrated inFIG. 3, and thus the driver is given an opportunity to voluntarilydecelerate the vehicle 30. Likewise, in a section where there areprojections or speed bumps, the driver decelerates the vehicle 20 forvehicle protection or preventing the passenger's uncomfortable feeling.As illustrated in FIG. 4, even when the lifting projection 230 isprojected to the upper side of the housing, the deceleration effect ofthe vehicle 20 may be obtained. At this time, the light-emitting unit220 may be turned off not to irradiate light any more, may maintain thecontinually operating state as illustrated in the present embodiment, ormay emit light of different colors to give a greater visual warning oremit light with a blinkering pattern.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, even if the vibration is applied to thevehicle 20 according to the rise of the lifting projection 230, if thevehicle 20 is further accelerated to exceed 160 km/h, a major accidentmay occur, and thus the lifting crushing needle 240 is lifted to make ahole on the tire of the vehicle 20. If a hole is formed on the tire, theair in the tire is discharged to the outside, and thus the vehicle 20cannot normally drive and thus the vehicle is forcibly decelerated. Atthis time, if the diameter of the lifting crushing needle 240 is toolarge and thus the hole of a 5 mm or greater diameter is formed, thetire may be punctured and thereby the vehicle 20 may be significantlyshaken. Hence, the lifting crushing needle 240 may be preferably formedin a circular shape having a 5 mm or less diameter so that the tire isnot punctured and the air may be slowly discharged from the tire byforming a hole of a 5 mm or less diameter.

Likewise, the road structure according to the present invention maysignificantly reduce the car accidents by inducing the drivers todecelerate their vehicles by giving a visual and tactile warning to thedrivers and puncturing tires when the drivers accelerate their vehiclesto a level that make cause a major accident.

Further, the road structure according to the present invention does notgive any visual or tactile warning to a driver which does not overspeed,and thus safe-driving drivers may drive in a comfortable environment. Atthis time, if the height of the upper surface of the housing is formedhigher than the upper surface of the road, the function of inducing thedeceleration of the vehicle 20 may be performed as in the speed bumps,but this may make the passengers feel uncomfortable, and thus the heightof the upper surface of the housing may be set to be preferably the sameas the height of the upper surface of the road.

Further, the projection driving unit 232 and the crushing needle drivingunit 242 may be configured to raise or lower the lifting projection 230and the lifting crushing needle 240 by having a rotation camera at theinside or may be configured to make the lifting projection 230 and thelifting crushing needle 240 to be reciprocated by having a solenoid atthe inside. That is, the projection driving unit 232 and the crushingneedle driving unit 242 may be formed in any structure if it is possibleto raise and lower the lifting projection 230 and the lifting crushingneedle 240. Likewise, the driving unit, which reciprocates onecomponent, is already well known in the corresponding technical field ofthe present invention, the detailed description thereof is omitted here.

Heavy-weight vehicles such as trucks or buses have a higher possibilityof a car accident at the time of the over-speed, and one accident maylead to a major accident, and thus it is preferred that a warning signalis given to drivers of heavy-weight vehicles even at a slightover-speed.

Hence, the controller 300 may forcibly decelerate the vehicle by givinga warning to the driver earlier or making a hole in the tire by loweringthe first reference speed, the second reference speed, and the thirdreference speed as the weight of the vehicle 20 increases. For example,when the weight of the vehicle 20 is 5 tons or greater, the firstreference speed, the second reference speed, and the third referencespeed may be respectively set to 110 km/h, 120 km/h, and 130 km/h. Assuch, in a road of which the speed limit is 100 km/h, if the speed ofthe vehicle 20 exceeds 110 km, a visual warning may be given to thedriver, if the speed exceeds 120 km/h, a tactile warning may be given tothe driver, and if the speed exceeds 130 km/h, the vehicle may beforcibly decelerated.

Further, even at the same speed and the same weight of the vehicle 20,the possibility of accidents may increase according to the roadcondition. For example, when it rains or snows, the vehicle 20 mayeasily slide even at the speed which is common on a sunny data, and thusthe possibility of accidents increases.

Hence, the road structure according to the present invention may be setto maintain the speed of vehicles lower when it rains or snows. That is,the road structure according to the present invention may furtherinclude a rainfall or snowfall sensing unit (not shown) for measuringthe amount of rainfall or snowfall around the road and the firstreference speed, the second reference speed, and the third referencespeed may be set lower according to the preset weight if the amount ofrainfall or snowfall exceeds the reference value.

For example, on a road where the first reference speed, the secondreference speed, and the third reference speed are respectively 120km/h, 140 km/h, and 160 km/h, if the reference value of the rainfall is10 mm and the deceleration weight at the time of a rainfall is set to20%, the first reference speed, the second reference speed, and thethird reference speed may be set to 96 km/h, 112 km/h, and 128 km/hwhich is 20% reduced from the original speeds when it rains by more than10 mm. Further, when it snows, the accidents more frequently occur.Hence, when the reference value for the snowfall is set to 10 mm and thedeceleration weight for the snowfall is set to 40%, the first referencevalue, the second reference value, and the third reference value may beset to 72 km/h, 84 km/h, and 96 km/h when it snows by more than 10 mm.Here, the deceleration weights for the rainfall or snowfall may bevariously set according to various conditions such as the slope, radiusof curvature, and paved condition of the road.

Likewise, if the first reference speed, the second reference speed, andthe third reference speed are set to be lower according to the roadcondition as well as the car speed or weight, the car accidents may besignificantly reduced.

FIGS. 6 and 7 schematically illustrate a vehicle 20 passing over aburied block 200.

The car accidents often occur by a drowsy driving or a drunken driving.

The road structure according to the present invention may be configuredto give a warning to the driver or forcibly decelerate the vehicle 20when the vehicle 20 staggers by a drowsy driving or a drunken driving.

That is, when the road has two or more lanes 14, the first buried block200 a installed on the first lane 14 and the second buried block 200 binstalled on the second lane 14 are arranged side by side in a mannerthat crosses the road. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 6, when the lefttire and the right tire of the vehicle 20 pass one buried block 200, aseparate warning is not given to the driver. However, as illustrated inFIG. 7, if the left tire and the right tire respectively pass the firstburied block 200 a and the second buried block 200 b, the controller 300may be configured to transmit the operation signal of the light-emittingunit 220 and the operation signal of the projection-driving unit 232 tothe signal processing unit 250 regardless of the speed of the vehicle20.

Likewise, if the vehicle 20 continually straddles a lane 14 despite avisual and tactile warning, i.e., if the left tire and the right tirerespectively pass the first buried block 200 a and the second buriedblock 200 by more than a predetermined distance, the controller 200 mayforcibly decelerate the vehicle 20 by making a hole on the tire bytransmitting the crushing needle operation signal to the signalprocessing unit 250.

Further, if the vehicle 20 passes over the central line and passes theburied block 200 of the opposite road 10, it may be configured topromptly decrease the vehicle 20 by promptly raising the crushing needleregardless of the speed or the driving distance.

As described above, by using the road structure according to the presentinvention, a warning may be given or the vehicle 20 may be forciblydecelerated even at a drowsy driving or a drunken driving, and thus thesafe accidents may be significantly reduced.

The embodiments described above are used to illustrate the presentinvention, but the present invention is not limited to the embodimentsand it is obvious that the embodiments can be changed to otherembodiments within the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   10: road-   12: central line-   14: lane-   20: vehicle-   100: speed sensor-   200: buried block-   200 a: first buried block-   200 b: second buried block-   210: weight sensing unit-   220: light-emitting unit-   230: lifting projection-   232: projection driving unit-   230: lifting projection-   232: projection driving unit-   240: lifting crushing needle-   242: crushing needle driving unit-   250: signal processing unit-   300: controller

1. A road structure for preventing a safety accident, the road structurecomprising: a speed sensor 100 which senses a speed of a vehicle 20which drive on a road; a buried block 200 including a housing of whichthe whole or part is buried so that an upper part is exposed to anexternal side, a weight sensing unit 210 which is installed on an upperside of the housing and measures a weight of a vehicle 20 which steps onand passes the housing, a light-emitting unit 220 which is installed onan upper part of the housing and irradiates light to a driver of avehicle which forwards toward the housing, a lifting projection 230 anda lifting crushing needle 240 which are installed inside the housing ina structure that may be lifted to be projected to the upper surface ofthe housing, a projection driving unit 232 and a crushing needle drivingunit 242 which lift the lifting projection 230 and the lifting crushingneedle 240, and a signal processing unit 250 which transmits a signalgenerated from the weight sensing unit 210 to an external side, receivesa signal which is received from an external side, and transmits a signalto the light-emitting unit 220, the projection-driving unit 232, and thecrushing needle driving unit 242; and a controller 300 which transmitsan operation signal of the light-emitting unit 220 to the signalprocessing unit 250 if the speed of the vehicle 20 which drives on theroad exceeds a first reference speed, transmits an operation signal ofthe projection driving unit 232 if the speed of the vehicle 20 whichdrives on the road exceeds a second reference speed, and transmits anoperation signal of the crushing needle driving unit 242 to the signalprocessing unit 250 if the speed of the vehicle 20 which drives on theroad exceeds a third reference speed, wherein a plurality of buriedblocks 200 are installed in a longitudinal direction of the road atintervals.
 2. The road structure of claim 1, wherein the housing isburied so that the height of the upper surface coincides with the heightof the upper surface of the road.
 3. The road structure of claim 1,wherein an end of the lifting crushing needle 240 is inserted into atire of the vehicle 20 which passes over the housing when the liftingcrushing needle 240 rises to the upper surface of the housing, and thediameter of the lifting crushing needle 240 is less than 5 mm.
 4. Theroad structure of claim 1, wherein, when the road has two or more lanes14, a first buried block 200 a installed on a first lane 14 and a secondburied block 200 b installed on a second lane 14 are arranged side byside in a direction that crosses the road, wherein, when a left tire anda right tire of the vehicle 20 respectively pass the first buried block200 a and the second buried block 200 b, the controller 300 transmits anoperation signal of the light-emitting unit 200 and an operation signalof the projection-driving unit 232 to the signal processing unit 250regardless of the speed of the vehicle
 20. 5. The road structure ofclaim 4, wherein, if a phenomenon that the left tire and the right tireof the vehicle 20 respectively pass the first buried block 200 a and thesecond buried block 200 b is continued by more than a predetermineddistance, the controller 300 transmits a crushing needle operationsignal to the signal processing unit
 250. 6. The road structure of claim1, wherein, as the weight of the vehicle 20 which drives on the roadincreases, the first reference speed, the second reference speed, andthe third reference speed decrease.
 7. The road structure of claim 1,further comprising: a rainfall and snowfall sensing unit which measuresthe amount of rainfall or snowfall around the road, wherein, if theamount of the rainfall or snowfall exceeds a reference value, the firstreference speed, the second reference speed, and the third referencespeed are set lower according to a preset weight.